The Rajasthan High Court rejected a plea moved by Asaram Bapu seeking suspension of sentences in a case relating to the sexual assault of a minor. Asaram moved the plea on the ground that he was an old, aged man of around 83 years and was suffering from numerous ailments.
A division bench of Justices Vinit Kumar Mathur and Sandeep Mehta had heard the application filed by Asaram Bapu after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor.
Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, Advocates Rajesh Inamdar and RS Saluja appeared for the applicant while the respondent was represented by AAG Anil Joshi, Public Prosecutor RR Chhaperwal and Advocate PC Solanki.
Asaram moved the plea on the ground that Bapu is an old, aged man of around 83 years and was suffering from numerous ailments. He stated that he had been in prolonged custody for 9 years and 7 months and deserve the indulgence of bail. However, the court did not find sufficient material to allow the application.
Asaram Bapu was arrested on charges of raping a minor girl in 2013. The offence was said to have taken place in Jodhpur’s Manai village in August 2013. Asaram and the other accused were booked for various offences under the IPC, the JJ Act and the POCSO Act, including trafficking, rape, outraging a woman’s modesty, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.
An FIR was registered against him on August 20, 2013. He was arrested for charges made out under the Indian Penal Code, the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Following Asaram’s arrest, two women from Surat also filed a complaint, alleging that they were raped by Asaram Bapu and his son between 2002 and 2005.
The Supreme Court previously dismissed the bail plea of Asaram Bapu in connection with a sexual assault case registered against him in Gujarat. In this case, the two Surat-based sisters had registered separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai and accused them of rape and illegal confinement.
A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Gujarat government. The bench, while dismissing the bail plea, said the lower court will proceed with the trial and will not be influenced by the primary observations given by the Gujarat High Court while dismissing Asaram Bapu’s plea.
